“Now lets move on to multiplication table,” says Prasanth Gangadharan, addressing a class of primary school kids at Centre for Beyond School Learning Experiences at Vettamukku. He then goes on to point a ruler at a white-board on which there is a geometric figure with 10 edges, marking the digits from zero to nine. The restless kids who have been shuffling at their their sky-blue desks, straight away start to recite the table along with Prasanth. There were hardly any mistakes as they ‘sang’ maths in unison.
Learning becomes fun and so easy, especially for kids, when they are taught through visuals, songs and stories, Prasanth explains during a short break. The kids are then taken out for a song-dance routine. Later they all go in and the class resumes. It is a story-telling session. Tales discussed in earlier classes are retold by the students. Mathematics concepts are cleverly woven into the tales. The class ends with Prasanth narrating two stories of the students’ choice - a Birbal tale and a tale from a ‘Batman and Joker’ comic.
Prasanth founded Learning Alternatives(LA), an initiative of alternate education based on the Waldorf learning system in June 2016. Since the start of 2017, all the activities of LA has been shifted to the centre at Vettamukku. “We currently provide a learning foundation programme to strengthen maths and language during weekends and regular Kindergarten service during the weekdays. Both the programmes are based on the Waldorf system with lots of stories, songs and recreational activities,” he says.
Clay modelling for students at Learning Alternatives centre at Vettamukku
Teaching became a passion for Prasanth, an alumni of IIM-Delhi, while he was working as a corporate executive in Bangalore. There he used to teach part-time at business schools. It all changed when he got an opportunity to visit a Steiner school where the Waldorf system is followed. Soon Prasanth signed up to be a faculty there and eventually fell in love with this creative and artistic way of educating. The system, Prasanth says, is one which is based on art, music and other activities which helps in the overall development of the kid, rather than focusing just on academics. The kids are encouraged to use their imagination to learn and understand the concepts in maths and science instead of mugging it up, as is the case in the traditional rote learning method.
He adds, “The system helps us to take individual care and assessment of students. We file the drawings and writings they do and the way they behave in the class. Later we discuss it with the parents, explaining in what areas the kids need to improve”.
Currently there are more than 1,000 Waldorf schools world-wide. The students following Waldorf system have been found to be performing exceptionally well when put back into the mainstream, says Prasanth.
The parents are also impressed. Prathiba S Nair, assistant professor of psychology at MG University, believes that the foundation course has had a positive effect on her son Gopi. “The assessment is extremely helpful. Prasanth showed me the paintings that Gopi made which showed a streak of aggression. I could relate it to the TV programmes he watches. Since joining here, he seems to be watching a little less TV. He likes this place and he has got a lot of friends too.”
Deepa Bijoy, another parent, seconds Prathiba’s opinion. She feels that her son Athul watches a lot less of TV nowadays. “I used to struggle to get him away from the TV. Now all I need to do is to ask him to come with me to LA. He is also involving himself in a lot more outdoor activities than he used to,” she says.
Prajoth Kumar, parent of Gautham, also feels Prasanth’s venture is a game changer. He is glad that Gautham, who was not at all interested in books, is showing signs of interest. “Earlier he used to ignore the books altogether when we go to book shops or libraries. But now I am seeing him going through different sections,” says Prajoth.
LA is not restricting itself to foundation and kindergarten programs.
If all goes well, by June, Prasanth plans to open a regular school with a batch of 15-20 students and grades one to three, and then add ten students every year. “ We are planning to opt a more flexible syllabus like IGCSE or NIOS. The batch is kept small so as to maintain a low student-teacher ratio,” he says.
The mainstream schools nowadays, he adds, pressures the child to learn with a competitive mentality and is asked to leave if they are not able to keep up with the pack. In a Waldorf inspired school, students are encouraged to use their imagination. The aim is to put the focus back on the kids and nurture their unique skills, rather than turn them into something that society wants them to be.
